Posts tagged Marshawn Lynch

Seahawks beat Chargers 41-14

The Seattle Seahawks’ 1st unit could do no wrong as they jumped out to a 24-0 lead before handing over the reigns to the backups. Russell Wilson was in the zone and there was nothing the San Diego Chargers’ defense could do about it.

During the Seahawks opening 4 drives Wilson was 11/13 for 121 yards through the air and

Russell Wilson congratulates Robert Turbin after a touchdown. Photo by Seahawks.com

added another 31 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. Russell did a good job of spreading the ball around but his favorite target was Percy Harvin, who caught 4 passes for 31 yards.

Wilson wasn’t the only Seahawks’ offensive player to have a big day. 3rd year running back Robert Turbin had 81 yards, 3 more than the Chargers running backs combined, and a touchdown. Most of those yards came on one run. Zach Miller blocked a defensive back and sprung Turbin outside. Robert used a Marshawn Lynch esque stiff arm to pick up about another 10 yards at the end of the run. Unfortunately he averaged just 3.1 yards per carry the rest of the game.

Marshawn Lynch did see some game action, the first two offense plays, where he did some minor pass blocking/decoy work.

Terrelle Pryor runs in a 44 yards touchdown. Photo from Seahawks.com

Terrelle Pryor was unable to do anything special with his arm but he looked like Colin Kaepernick with the ball in his hands. Especially when he went running up the left sideline on the way to his was to a 44 yard touchdown. His long strides eat up a lot of ground quickly in the open field.

James Carpenter saw his first live action this preseason and it started roughly. On the opening drive he had miss communication with center Lemuel Jeanpierre and they let a free rusher through the line resulting in the only sack of Russell Wilson during the game. As a matter of fact, it was the only sack the Seahawks offensive line gave up all night. After that, he was solid.

Fellow offensive lineman Justin Britt looked a lot better than he did last week. He managed to clean up some of the mistakes he made during the first preseason game. Justin did very well in his run blocking assignments but struggled a little bit in pass protection. Chargers’ Melvin Ingram was able to force some pressure, on the quarterback, by using a combination of his speed and a bull rush which gave Britt fits.

Rookie linebacker Brock Coyle looked very good for his second preseason game. There is no hope that Brock will beat out starting middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, but I’d say he has done enough to lock down the backup role heading into the regular season. The young man is always around the ball whether it is a run or a pass. That will take him far during his career.

The Seahawks defense made it tough for Chargers’ quarterbacks all night. They ended up with 5 sacks, 9 quarterback hits and pressured them just about every time they dropped back to pass.

After the first unit defense left the game the secondary and linebackers struggled in coverage. Rookie Kevin Pierre-Louis looked a bit lost at times. A big factor is probably that he has missed a lot of time nursing an injury. These next couple week will be crucial for him to catch up.

Tharold Simon had a 105 yard interception returned for a touchdown called back after a

Tharold Simon returns an interception for a touchdown. Play would be called back by penalty. Photo from Seahawks.com

questionable illegal contact penalty by him. This came after dropping an interception shortly before. The Chargers turned that into 7 points of their own.

On special teams Bryan Walters stood out returning punts as he looked considerably better than Earl Thomas. The Seahawks need to find a replacement for Golden Tate who joined the Lions during the offseason. Punter Jon Ryan was a little disappointed that he never had a chance to do more than just hold for kicks.

At the end of the day the score doesn’t matter, it’s the experience that does. The young players got to feel the atmosphere in CenturyLink Field and the joy of winning. As for the Chargers, at least they did better than the Broncos in the Super Bowl.

Potential Holdout Looms

On Friday, July 25, 2015, the Seattle Seahawks will officially begin the most important training camp in franchise history. I say most important because nothing is harder in sports than defending a championship.

But…

Today, on the NFL Network, former Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson announced that Marshawn “Beastmode” Lynch is preparing to start camp as a hold out while he tries to renegotiate his contract.

Marshawn Lynch is entering the third year of a four-year contract he signed in March 2012. He is set to make $5 million this season with another $1.5 million available through bonuses. He ranks as the sixth-highest paid player in base salary for the 2014 season.

Adrian Peterson tops the list with $11.75 million while Jamaal Charles is second with $8.3 million in the final year of his contract.

LeSean McCoy’s contract is where it gets interesting. Yes, he has a higher base salary (by $650,000) than Lynch, but his contract gave the Eagles cap relief during the 2012 and 2013 season, earning just $3.615 million total. Meanwhile, Marshawn has enjoyed his $11 million over the same period. For those keeping track at home, that’s: McCoy with $11.265 over the last three seasons (including 2014), Lynch with $16 million.

Greatest Seahawks team

The 2013 Seahawks team has managed a franchise best record at 9-1, but are they the best Seahawks team?

The Seahawks have been to one Super Bowl, and they are the only team in the NFL to attend both the AFC and NFC Championship games.

Lately the question has been that, “Are we witnessing the greatest Seahawks team?”

Statistically we can compare two different teams and make our own judgement. But let’s throw a little wrench into this, and compare three different teams.

As mentioned before, the Seahawks are the only team to have attended both AFC and NFC championship games. The 2005 Seahawks as we all know went to the Super Bowl. The 1983 Seahawks team managed to get to the AFC Championship game. Therefore both of these teams are viable in contrast as the Greatest Seahawks team. Comparing these three teams should be a lot of fun! All of these stats will be compared through the first ten games of the season regardless of the bye week. The 1983 team didn’t have a bye week, and the 2005 Seahawks had their bye week in week 8. The current team the bye week is week 12.

2013 2005 1983

Total Record 9-1 8-2 6-4

(Home Wins) 4-0 5-0 3-2

(Away Wins) 5-1 3-2 3-2

Points For 265 272 246

Points Against 159 187 225

Total Offense 3,620 3,892 3,071

Total Defense 2,890 3,158 3,744

Total Sacks 30 34 27

Interceptions 13 9 20

Surprised at how close they are? It’s actually very interesting data.

There really isn’t a clear cut greatest team off these statistics. Three different teams, three different coaches, not a single player that played on two of these teams. We can delve deeper into the depths of these statistics and get a little bit more personal. If all of these stats are fairly close, we can break down a few key positions to see if there is any big difference.

Quarterbacks

Russell Wilson163/257(63%) 2,132 yards 17 TD 6 INT

Matt Hasselbeck 200/316(63%) 2,357 yards 12 TD 7 INT

Jim Zorn* 103/205(50%) 1,166 yards 7 TD 7 INT

*These comparisons were through the first ten games of the season. However Jim Zorn only started 8 games in the 1983 season.

Running Backs

Marshawn Lynch 191 carries 871 yards 7 TD

Shaun Alexander232 carries 1229 yards 19 TD

Curt Warner 198 carries 889 yards 8 TD

Wide Receivers

GoldenTate41 catches 574 yards 4 TD

Joe Jurevicius** 36 catches 421 yards 5 TD

Steve Largent 38 catches 547 yards 6 TD

** Jurevicius was chosen because Darrell Jackson only played 6 games that year and didn’t meet the minimum requirement of 10 games.

While the argument can be made that the current team we are watching is the greatest Seahawks team ever,

Bruce Irvin, the look says it all. Photo by Brett Bivens

the stats are really similar to the other two great Seahawks teams. Each team has its strengths and weaknesses. Chuck Knox, Mike Holmgren, and Pete Carroll all have run unique football teams that had great players in key positions.

Maybe it is too early to compare these three great teams to decide which one is the greatest.

At the end of the season we can again look at these stats and re-visit the argument as to which Seahawks team should be crowned the greatest Seahawks team?

And keys to the game

By Carl Hoglin

The Seattle Seahawks travel east to face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in a matchup between two sophomore Quarterbacks. Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck have both made huge strides for their respectable teams and will continue to do so after Sundays game.

This will be the first matchup between the two since they came into the league last year in different rounds. Andrew Luck was taken #1 overall by the Colts last year, where Russell Wilson was taken #75 overall.

Nevertheless, a football game isn’t decided by what rounds their Quarterbacks are taken.

Both teams have had a great September start, with the Seahawks going 4-0, and the Colts sitting at 3-1. These two teams have played against each other 10 times before, with Sundays matchup being number 11. Seattle has won the matchup between these two teams only 4 times.

The last time these two teams met was in 2009, well before both Quarterbacks were drafted. Since 2009, both of these teams have vastly changed. Seneca Wallace and Peyton Manning are no longer running the shows.

Both Offenses are strikingly similar in stats. Russell Wilson is 59/96(61.5%) for 787 yards with 6 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Andrew Luck is 81/127(63.8%) for 915 yards with 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Wilson has been sacked 13 times for a loss of 84 yards. Luck has been sacked 10 times for a loss of 59 yards.

The Seahawks have managed to total up 1409 offensive yards(577 rushing, 832 passing). The Colts have put up 1495 total yards(601 rushing, 894 passing). Both teams have put up 12 touchdowns. Seattle is managing 27.2 points a game, good enough for 6th in the league. Indianapolis is pushing 26.2 which puts them at 9th in the league.

Defense has been a focal point for both of these teams. Seattle is only allowing 11.8 points per game(2nd), while Indianapolis is allowing 12.8(9th). Seattle boasts the Legion of Boom, which has accounted for 6 of the teams 7 interceptions. Indianapolis has managed to intercept opposing Quarterbacks 6 different times themselves. Indianapolis has registered 13 different sacks, Seattle has only put up 11. Indianapolis has forced three different fumbles, whereas Seattle has managed to force 6.

These two teams have played two of the same teams. We can use them as a slight comparison.

Both teams have played San Francisco and Jacksonville.

The Seahawks trounced the 49ers(in Seattle) 29-3, while the Colts went to Candlestick and dismantled the 49ers 27-7. The Seahawks also bludgeoned the Jaguars(in Seattle) 45-17, whereas the Colts went into EverBank Field and took care of the Jaguars 37-3. In the two weeks the Seahawks outscored the two 74-20, while the Colts outscored the two by 64-10.

Going into Lucas Oil Stadium with a unbeaten record, Seattle has to be on their game. Indianapolis’ only loss came at home to the Miami Dolphins.

If the Seahawks are wanting to leave with a win, they have to be fully prepared.

Russell Wilson will have to be himself, calm under pressure and precise. Facing the looks of Cory Redding, Aubrayo Franklin, and Fifi Moala, Wilson will have to make quick reads.

The Colts defense is allowing 200 yards passing a game. Golden Tate, Doug Baldwin, and Sidney Rice all need to create separation and get open. Greg Toler, Vontae Davis, Antoine Bethea, and Sergio Brown all will be keeping close tabs on them.

Marshawn Lynch needs another big game. Colts’ defense is allowing 100 yards rushing a game. Lynch needs to get all of that himself to wear them down. The offense cannot go three and out repeatedly and expect to win.

Richard Sherman and the rest of the Legion of Boom need to pressure Reggie Wayne, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Dwayne Allen. The defense has to put a stop to the offensive power that the Colts possess. Sherman, Chancellor, and Thomas all have two picks each, and need to nab atleast two more. Maybe Brandon Browner will get two this week to catch up with the rest of the LOB. The Seahawks have held opposing offenses to 300.2 yards a game, and this game needs to be less. If Andrew Luck gets on a streak like Matt Schaub did last game it will put more pressure on the offense to put up more points. The defense gets Bruce Irvin back this week, after serving a 4 game suspension for PED use. Irvin may be a little rusty because of the loss in action.

Although the injury report is rather vague at this point, both teams have a few key players either questionable or probable for Sunday. Injuries at certain positions can debilitate a team if they don’t have capable backup.

Breno Giacomini is questionable, and Russell Okung is out, that leaves Seattle with two backup tackles. Max Under(center) is also listed as questionable at this point. Without those three key players, Seattle is missing 3 offensive linemen for the second game in a row.

Colts’ Ahmed Bradshaw and LaRon Landry are both listed as questionable for this game as well.

While the focus is on these two sophomore quarterbacks and how exactly they will perform, there will be a game going on. Russell Wilson, and Andrew Luck cannot be on the field 100% of the plays.

This war between two teams should be brutal, both teams want to extend their winning records. Neither team is going to just roll over and allow the other to steamroll to a win. When the game clock rolls down to 0, the winning quarterback will be crowned like the rest of the game didn’t matter. The Seahawks went into Houston, and played a great team, now they have to go into Indianapolis and face a better team. Indianapolis faced a good defense when they faced the 49ers, but they haven’t faced the caliber that the Seahawks possess.

A defensive battle

Written by: Carl Hoglin

This Sunday, the 3-0 Seattle Seahawks roll into Houston to battle the 2-1 Texans.

Two unrelenting defenses taking it out on opposing offenses, which one will stand the beating? Which team has enough depth to outlast the struggle that will ensue on Sunday? Will Seattle remain undefeated, or will Houston add another notch to the win column?

Houston and Seattle have only played twice after the Oilers left and the Texans were formed. Each team has managed to best the other on their home fields respectively. Seattle trounced Houston 42-10 in a 2005 meeting between the teams. Houston bludgeoned Seattle 34-7 in the latest meeting in 2009.

The last meeting in 2009 featured some of the key players that Houston has managed to build a team around. The only players still playing for the Seahawks since then are: Brandon Mebane, Max Unger, Red Bryant, and Jon Ryan.

This will be a huge struggle between two powerhouse defenses. In three games for both defenses, Seattle ranks first in yards per game, while Houston ranks second. The Seahawks have managed to only surrender 27 total points on defense, while 17 of those came while the second team was on the field versus Jacksonville. Seattle gave up 7 points to Carolina, and 3 points to San Francisco.

Houston has given up 82 points. 28 to San Diego, 24 to Tennessee, and 30 to Baltimore.

Seattle is allowing only 146.7 passing yards per game (1st), while Houston is allowing 157.7 (2nd). Houston is averaging only 91.3 rushing yards on defense (9th), whereas Seattle is allowing 95 (12th). Both Seattle and Houston have managed to pile up 8 sacks already this season. Seattle has managed to pick off opposing QB’s 5 different times, while Houston has only managed 1 pick so far this season.

Both Seattle and Houston will have problems moving the ball against these stout defenses.

Marshawn Lynch . Photo by Brett Bivens

Leading their respective offenses, Russell Wilson, and Matt Schaub will have to both be on their games in order to succeed. Wilson is 47/73 for 664 yards with 6 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Schaub is 85/128 for 838 yards with 6 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Both teams have amazing backs in Marshawn Lynch and Arian Foster. Lynch has rumbled 210 yards on 62 carries, and Foster has steamrolled 190 yards on 49 carries.

Seattle is managing 28.7 points per game putting up an average of 379 yards per game (247 passing, 132 rushing). Houston is averaging 388 yards per game(259 passing, 128 rushing).

Both teams have outstanding receivers, the Texans in Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins, while the Seahawks have Sidney Rice and Golden Tate.

Any one of these players, on any given Sunday, can make or break a game.

Gary Kubiak and Pete Carroll have built highly respectable teams.

Time managing Quarterbacks with powerhouses at Running Back.

Big sure-handed receivers that can fly down the field.

Complete total offenses that can light up any defense not full in tune.

Strong, unrelenting defenses that can play lights out against any offense, any given game.

Either side of the ball for either team can take control and tilt the tables for their respected team. This game will boil down to who was better on the field, who wins each battle will win the final battle.

Are Houston’s receivers bigger than Seattle’s cornerbacks? Can Seattle’s defensive line hold Arian Foster? Can Russell Wilson escape JJ Watt and his teammates on the defense?

Or anyone for that matter

On Monday, my editor sent me this Seattle Seahawks pitch, asking if I would be interested in writing the piece—he already had the headline picked. I had to laugh a little bit at first because I actually had this conversation with my buddy at at a recent game.

The actual conversation wasn’t really about Marhawn Lynch versus Adrian Peterson; it wasMarshawn Lynch versus any other running back. But that is the direction I am going to take this piece.

I was looking up at the rafters, admiring all the numbers that hang from the top of the stadium, and for the first time in a very long time, I am content in the fact that every number that deserves to be up there is there.

Lynch doesn’t have his number retired in Seattle—yet.

12 – For the fans, though we haven’t been living up to it lately

80 – Steve Largent, one of the best wide receivers to ever play the game

71 – Walter Jones, the best offensive lineman to ever play the game

96 – Cortez Kennedy, the one that took far too long to be raised

So I thought to myself, “Is there a current Seahawks player who I could see earning the right to his number hanging among the greatest players in Seattle, and the entire NFL for that matter, has ever seen?”